Wednesday, January 23, 2013

100 Days until the Indy 500 Mini Marathon!

I just got back from my vacation in sunny Puerto Rico to freezing Chicago, so running outside is the last thing I want to do, but I just realized that the Indy 500 Mini Marathon is only 100 days away, so I better get running! I'm going to do a similar training plan to what I did for the Hot Chocolate 15K last fall. This basically involves a lot of CrossFit during the week and then a long run on the weekend to build up to the 13.1 miles. I have every other Friday off as a flex day so some of these runs are on a Friday, and others on a Saturday (and sometimes on Sunday).

In the short term, I have to run outside a bit to train for the Frozen Five Trail Race that Ryan and I are planning to do on February 10 in Hoffman Estates, IL (outside of Chicago). This race could be quite challenging if it snows and/or the temperature is sub-freezing. I'm also not looking forward to running on days that it is extremely cold and windy. Hopefully this winter will be another mild one and spring will come early :)

Here is my long-run schedule!

January 27: 3 miles
February 1: 4 miles
February 10: Frozen Five Trail Race
February 15: 6 miles
February 23: 6 miles
March 1: 7 miles
March 9: 8 miles
March 15: 9 miles
March 23:9 miles
March 29: 10 miles
April 6: 11 miles
April 12: 12 miles
April 20: 13 miles
April 26: 10 miles
May 4: RACE DAY!

2 comments:

Hi, I posted in your PR section... your training is, as I thought, not based on long term aerobic development. You may get a PR, because the increased strength from Crossfit does have a small impact on speed. Also, your once weekly run will likely build enough durability to prevent injury during the race. But, if you're interested in large improvements, like shooting for a 1:30-1:40 half marathon time, then you'll need very gradual, long term aerobic development. Crossfitters call it "chronic cardio" and make fun of it. But if done gradually and correctly, it is the only thing that truly works. I am sorry that I am putting down Crossfit in this regard, you likely truly enjoy it and get great benefits from it. But, with regard to running specifically, Crossfit has very little to offer. I am an experienced runner, and Crossfitters are regularly racing in my area.

Hi Felix, thank you for your comments. I had turned to crossfit originally because I kept getting injured from running when I was training for a marathon in 2010. I agree with you that doing the long run once a week won't make me a great runner. However, I really do think that crossfit has made my muscles and joints much stronger and less prone to injury. I signed up for the Chicago Marathon this year and my plan is to follow a beginner's training plan (with the running) and also still do crossfit. It may be too much but I'm willing to try it and adjust as necessary.